


Mixed Signals

by KennaxVal



Category: The Crown & the Flame (Visual Novels)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-05
Packaged: 2020-08-10 00:14:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20126188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KennaxVal/pseuds/KennaxVal





	Mixed Signals

Just looking at Kenna is enough to drive Val crazy. A woman so beautiful and perfect is less a woman than she is a Goddess. Bitter laugh escapes Val’s lips; she knows she would worship Kenna without hesitation and the thought frightens her. She’s never loved anything, let alone anyone and she hates the way it makes her feel.

Her whole life has been dedicated to her pursuits of pleasure: money, ale, fighting, ale, hanging out in the taverns, ale and more ale. She doesn’t want to love, especially when it’s someone who will surely reject her. Kenna has a host of options like kings, queens who wish to marry her. A lowly mercenary has no chance at her Goddess’ heart; thus her own is broken.

***

It’s a hot night, and despite her exhaustion, sleep seems unlikely. She’s on her back in a drab, brown tent. There’s no distinguishing marks of any kind, just a boring looking tent. All that’s inside is a blanket, Val’s clothes, and Val. Quietly, a whisper wakes her up. “Val, can I come in?” the voice says. Covering herself, she’s relieved to see Kenna enter. The Queen is wearing a thin, grey dress that shows off her figure with her hair worn up.

Val’s heart races; they’ve become very close since their kiss in Alriel, but Val isn’t sure she’s ready to go further. An uncomfortable silence fills the air, so Val breaks the tension.

“What brings you here, Kenna?” she asks. She’s unsure in the darkness whether Kenna frowns at such familiarity Val displays with her queen. It could be her imagination, but not knowing for sure drives her mad.

“I couldn’t sleep, and I heard tossing and turning so I figured you were awake too. May I stay here for a while?”

A thousand thoughts swirl through Val’s mind. Does Kenna want to just hang out as friends? Or is this something more? What’s the next move from here? Val looks at her clothes next to her, and then back at Kenna. She decides not to think and just go with her desire and yanks her blanket off, exposing herself to her queen. To her great disappointment, Kenna looks shocked and quickly turns around.

“Do you need a minute, Val?”

She pulls her blanket back on. “Uh, yeah, I guess so,” she says before getting dressed. Despite the awkward moment, she and Kenna have a wonderful evening together. They stay up all night talking, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company.

As the sun begins to rise, Kenna hugs her, “thanks, Val,” she says holding the Mercenary tight, “I needed this.” Pulling away, Kenna looks at her and says, “you’re a good friend.”

When Kenna leaves, Val feels confusion. Was this a good night? They had fun, but not in the way she wanted. Strange as it seems, Val isn’t sure she wants to be friends with Kenna. It would be too painful to see her with someone else. Still, she swore a blood oath to her queen, and she would honor it, no matter how painful it would be.

The next several days are similar; Kenna sneaks into Val’s tent, and they spend the whole evening as friends until one night that changes. Val decides she wants to be all or nothing to Kenna and brings up their time in Alriel.

“What made you think of that?” Kenna asks with a hard swallow.

“I think about that place, all the time,” she responds, then leans into Kenna’s face, “and that kiss.”

She purses her lips, but Kenna leans back, “Val!” she says with tears pooling in her eyes, “I’m sorry to send you mixed signals, but that was a mistake. I have to focus on winning the war, and there’s no place for romance right now.”

Abruptly, Kenna leaves her, but she follows, chasing her until they reach the shoreline.

“Kenna!” she demands “Why are you doing this? Just talk to me.”

The Queen stops and turns around, for a moment there is only the sound of crashing waves and their feet shifting in the sand. Calmly Kenna walks over to her and puts her hands on the Mercenary’s shoulders.

“It meant nothing to me, Val. Just a heat of the moment situation and I’m sorry that you thought otherwise.”

“I don’t believe you,” Val says flatly, “only a sadist would come to my tent and spend every waking moment with someone they don’t love when they know that person loves them. Is that what you are, Kenna? No, you’re too kind-hearted for that; you’re everything I aspire to be.” She trembles before gathering her courage, “I just want to know one thing, Kenna. Do you love me?” A sick feeling hits the pit of her stomach as the question escapes her mouth. She’s terrified of Kenna’s answer but decides she has to know one way or the other.

Tears stream down Kenna’s face. “Val,” she barely mutters over her shaking lip, “please don’t ask me that.”

She grabs Kenna’s hands, “I’m sorry, but I have to know. Kenna… Do you love me? Because you know I love you more than anything or anyone. I love you so much it hurts to even think of you being hurt or being with someone else. I don’t simply want you, Kenna, I need you. A life without you would be like life without air, or worse yet without ale.”

They share a laugh as the tension breaks, but Kenna looks down, only for Val to cup her face. They lock eyes for but a second before Kenna breaks down.

“Yes! Is that what you wanted to hear, Val? Yes! I love you with all my heart, but I can’t be vulnerable. I shouldn’t have spent so much time with you, but it’s all true. I love you, and I need you in my life. Every second without you is agony for me, but I have to consider my people. They need me committed to them.”

“Let me ask you something,” Val says with one hand keeping Kenna close and the other stroking her hair, “is it customary for royalty to be celibate?”

Kenna shakes her head, “this is different, Val. Most Kings and Queens aren’t fighting in the front lines in the middle of a war.”

“Exactly,” Val tells her with a warm smile, “you’re dealing with more than those softies. You need someone by your side. Preferable a badass mercenary.” They both chuckle. “Life is hard enough, Kenna. You’re the perfect woman, but even you need love. Let’s take the pressure off each other.”

“Val, what are you saying?”

“We may die, soon, Kenna. Let’s not die with any regrets. I want to spend eternity with you. Of course, we won’t have time to get married before our next battle, but shouldn’t we at least know each other before that happens?”

“You don’t think I want that, Val?” Kenna tugs at her own hair, “you don’t think I dream about you touching me every single night?” She watches Kenna kneel down and pound at the sand. With her arm, she shields her eyes from the flying grains. “Well, I do, Val. I dream about you every night and force myself to push away thoughts of you during the day. I hate myself for doing this, but… I just can’t be with you!”

“Who are you trying to convince, me or you?” She slowly walks towards Kenna and pulls her queen up to face her. “You don’t have to do this to yourself, Kenna. We can love each other and still kick ass. In fact, if we’re together, I’ll have something to battle for. If I’m to face life without you, there’s not much point in my putting up a big fight.”

“Val! How can you say that?” Kenna scowls at the Mercenary, “The fate of the Five Kingdoms is of the upmost priority.”

She shakes her head, “I respectfully disagree, your highness. You’re the utmost priority. And so, if winning for your kingdom will make you happy, then I’ll do that. Just don’t expect much of a celebration from me afterward.”

She starts to walk away; each step brings pain to her very soul. After a while, she hears “Val! Wait!” The voice is in the distance, and she thinks to herself, ‘wishful thinking. I just want to believe Kenna’s calling out to me.’ However, the voice gets louder. She turns around to see Kenna practically crash into her. They hold each other close and lock lips.

Kenna pulls away, “You’re right, Val. You’ve always been right. Our love is worth fighting for, and I’m not leaving this world without expressing my love for you completely.”

Her heart hammers at her chest as she watches Kenna deliberately untie her dress and sees it pool around the queen’s feet. Kenna then moves her hair back so Val can look at her breasts. Without breaking eye contact, Kenna undoes the ties on her pants, letting them fall before stepping out of them to stand naked for Val to see.

Instinctively, Val walks up to this perfect, exposed woman; the woman that she loves more than life itself. They wrap their arms around each other in an intoxicating kiss.

“I love you, Val Greaves,” Kenna tells as she undresses the mercenary, “I love you with my whole being.” Heavy breath comes from both of them at the bare skin to skin contact. “It’s been so hard to muster energy for the upcoming battle; I feared that a life with you would distract me. But I realized the only distraction was my heart telling me that letting you go would be the biggest mistake of my life.”

She lowers Kenna to the ground and lays on top of her, “I love you too, Kenna Rys. And soon the whole world will know that I love you. Our enemies with be paralyzed with fear when they witness the power of a woman in love. Nothing, and I mean, NOTHING is going to stop me from giving you the life that you deserve. I will express my love to you forever, and no army can stop me from giving you the full, loving life you deserve.”

Her fingers graze Kenna’s wet sex, and she goes inside moving her fingers slowly, listening to the sweet sound of Kenna moaning her name. She places soft kisses on Kenna’s body from her breasts to her entrance.

Each climax from Kenna is a joy for her, the feel of Kenna’s body twitching with pleasure. The taste is divine as she laps up the wetness of her lover. Her lips press against Kenna’s folds, and she kisses the queen.

The favor is returned as she feels her queen squeeze her breasts then delicately caress her skin. The feel of Kenna’s tongue inside her overloads her senses as wave after wave of carnal delight hits her. They share a kiss, tasting themselves off each other and lie down together to star gaze. For some time, nothing is said, nor is there a need for words. The light breeze cools their clammy skin, the ocean waves provide gentle background sound, and with every breath, they communicate an undying love for one another and a promise to always be together, in this world and the next.


End file.
